It has been a strange week for Jose Mourinho and not the sort the Manchester United manager will want to experience too often.
First of all, he has had to endure his club's two biggest rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City, slugging it out for a place in the Champions League semifinals while his United players kick their heels following the round-of-16 exit against Sevilla.
But to compound Mourinho's angst, he must prepare to take his team to the Etihad on Saturday for a derby game against City which could see Pep Guardiola claim his first Premier League title if the home side claim all three points.
United and Mourinho have had to accept being on the undercard, playing second billing to their rivals, and it is a sensation that will sting the Old Trafford manager.
And to make matters worse, his plans for the derby will have been compromised by the uncertainty over which City team he will face -- Guardiola's big guns or a second string selected in order to rest the star players ahead of the Champions League second leg against Liverpool next Tuesday which with City trailing 3-0, is now the only show in town for the blue half of Manchester.
But while Mourinho will relish the opportunity to secure the result that would keep Guardiola and City waiting to be crowned champions this weekend, his motivation needs to go beyond that of merely being a party-pooper at the Etihad.
This derby, the 176th competitive clash between City and United, has become an inconvenient distraction for Guardiola, just three days before the crucial return game against Liverpool.
For the fans, the desperation to clinch the title against United is obvious, but Guardiola has already made it clear that the team he selects will be picked solely with the Liverpool second leg as the priority.
Mourinho has no such distraction, however, so his and United's motivation must be to attempt to lay down a marker for next season and deliver a statement of intent that illustrates not only their determination to be top dogs next year, but also doing it in a style befitting the club's heritage.
Last season's negative performance during a dismal 0-0 draw at the Etihad was Mourinho at his best and worst.
United's drilled display highlighted his ability to devise a plan to stifle an opponent, but it also emphasised his cautious, safety-first approach away from home against a top six rival.
This season, Mourinho masterminded a similarly dull and unambitious performance in a 0-0 draw at Anfield, but with the hand-brake off, he saw United win well at Arsenal before suffering a comprehensive 2-0 defeat against Tottenham at Wembley in January.
It has seemed as though Mourinho is prepared to be more adventurous, but has not yet worked out a way to successfully combine defensive durability with the kind of attacking flair that has propelled City to the title.
Saturday's trip to the Etihad offers him the opportunity to fine tune his tactical evolution, however.
If he is bold and United lose, it will only confirm the inevitability of a City title win anyway, but a victory would inject his players, and the club's fans, with the belief that progress is being made and that next season will bring more excitement and success.
Yes, his squad is still imbalanced and that is a key factor in Mourinho's inability to get it right so far at United.
They have a surplus of attacking talent -- United still lack a world-class No.10 / playmaker, but Mourinho has plenty of options going forward -- yet the defence is still unreliable whenever Eric Bailly is unavailable and Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba need better players around them in midfield.
But there really can be no excuses for United this weekend.
If Guardiola picks his best team, United will face a group of players wearied by the Wednesday night defeat at Anfield who will naturally have half an eye on next Tuesday's second leg.
Yet if Guardiola picks his fringe players, a full-strength United would expect to win, and they would be expected to win with style.
Mourinho has Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in his locker, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata also primed to play.
He has the options and the tools to unleash a team with ambition and adventure and he also knows that, with United almost certain to finish in the top four, this has become a "free" game.
A defeat would be a blow to United's pride, but there is a bigger picture to survey and this game offers the perfect opportunity for Mourinho to set his players free and allow them to express themselves.
But if he only sees the game as a chance to postpone City's title party, it will be a wasted opportunity and a worrying signpost for next season.